My Autumn Capsule Collection with Nour & the Merchant

It's been months in the making but my autumn capsule collection with Nour and the Merchant is finally here and available to be purchased! This collection is called the Dark Cottagecore collection and is inspired by folktales, heraldry, peasant princesses, and autumn itself. Everything is being made as sustainably as possible in Nour and the Merchant's slow fashion atelier in Italy. A lot of thought and detail went into every design balancing our love for fairytales with wearable, flattering clothes that can be worn in every day life. For me, there's no point in a "dream" wardrobe you can't wear every day or pieces that don't feel comfortable. So these designs are very much my peasant princess dream pieces, but also flattering and easy to wear. Harvest dress & Bramble apron: One of the first pieces we started designing was the Harvest dress. The big sleeves and apron are a nod to peasant princesses and traditional folk costumes, but done in a very clean lines for a more modern feel. The embroidery on this dress is pretty special as it's all inspired by heraldic symbols; I liked the idea of mixing a traditionally feminine garment like an apron with swords and arrows and twisting brambles, like a way to wear your shield on your dress. Each of the figures on the apron has a different meaning and you can choose one of the symbols to be embroidered on the bodice as well. I have a golden wheat sheaf (or garb) here which symbolizes prosperity but also the generosity of the wearer; they are someone who has the promise of a full harvest and shows willingness to share it--plus I love little wheat sheafs as symbols of autumn myself! Other details you won't see immediately in the pictures--buttons down the cuffs of the sleeves, pockets, and the skirt is lined for added pouf and warmth! Since it is an autumn collection I really wanted some lining which adds to the warmth and means the skirt is less likely to get caught on your boots/tights--plus pockets are always a good idea! This is the orange shade of the dress (a deep lovely orange that isn't too bright) but it also comes in beige, black, navy, and dark brown. There's also a few other limited edition colors you can choose for the dress and the Bramble apron comes in black or beige. You can shop the dress here, or the apron here.  Mists chemise: One of my dream pieces to design is this deceptively simple chemise dress. We really thought about every detail and the fit and fabric to create this special piece that can work as a blouse (see below) or alone as a dress and will look flattering no matter how it is styled. The fabric is slightly sheer and not lined (you can sort of see my tattoo showing through in the first picture) by intention, I wanted it very "misty" and soft, the slight sheerness gives it the loveliest airy quality and clean silhouette means it layers nicely without being too bulky but also looks nice when worn plain. The sleeves can also be styled down long or pushed up more (as you'll see in some of my images below). You can style it with a corset as shown here, or under a skirt or pinafore or really a dozen other ways. It's one of the most versatile pieces in the collection. The Mists chemise can be made in this cream linen or black. Shop the chemise here. Dusk waistcoat: While I didn't actually set out with hobbits in mind when I started this collection, this waistcoat came out so hobbit-y! My inspiration was more vintage dirndls and classic waistcoats but with a feminine twist. Rather than a v-neck as you see most traditional waistcoats I wanted a square neckline that paired with more feminine dresses and blouses, the slight v at the front and ruffle trim also gives it a nice feminine silhouette. I'm really looking forward to styling this waistcoat more ways this autumn--layered on top of dresses, belted at the waist, etc. The Dusk waistcoat is shown here in brown and also comes in prune (purple) and teal. Shop the waistcoat here.  Conker skirt: A perfect cozy autumn suspender skirt. This style has a lot of hidden details, such as a lined skirt, pockets (!), and you can remove the straps to wear it more simply. There's also a number of embroidery options you can choose from or you can get the skirt plain; there's a full wheel of fabric in the skirt so it's so full and swishy and fun even if it's just in a simple linen. This embroidery is wheat and crow; the wheat as I said before is used to symbolize prosperity and generosity while the crow traditionally symbolizes someone who is clever and observant/watchful. The combination implies this might be a person who is generous with their friends, but also cautious to let someone into their inner circle. With all the symbols as well we were thinking of aesthetics, so I also just like the way these two look together and how folk inspired it looks. There were so many birds in the traditional embroidery pieces we were looking at for inspiration so I knew I wanted to include at least one bird in my collection as well. The conker skirt comes in olive green (pictured here), beige, dark brown, navy, black, maroon, and orange linen. Shop the conker skirt here.